Textile machines



Oct. 12, 1965 F. SCRAGG TEXTILE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1961 INVENTORZ FIKIdQf/RZ Oct. 12, 1965 F. SCRAGG I 3,211,391

TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Sept. 19, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: f'rbdlrfz. LL SL137? 7 4w? my,

United States Patent 3,211,391 TEXTILE MACHINES Frederick Scragg, Macclesfield, England, assignor to Ernest Scragg'& Sons Limited, Macclesfield, England Filed Sept. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 139,177

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 20, 1960,

5 Claims. (Cl. 24247.01)

The present invention concerns a yarn forwarding arrangement for use in textile machines, and is particularly useful where thermoplastic yarns, which have been twistcrimped and which at one stage of their run must be allowed to contract, are employed. This contraction follows as a result of a previous crimping process since during this process the yarn is given a series of snarls or kinks which have set in the yarn and produced in it a contractile force. At the point where contraction is desired the yarn, instead of being substantially straight though stressed, tends to become bulky and fiuffy under the infiuence of the said stresses, and the force which it exerts becomes very small indeedof the order of a fraction of a gram. Under these conditions it will be realised that it cannot be pulled round, for example, a spreader block, but must be ejected into the contracting zone from between two smooth surfaces, the tangent plane to the two surfaces preferably including the forward path of the yarn.

It is known to provide nip rollers, one of which is driven, the yarn if necessary being taken two or three times round an idler roller. This latter may be provided with a cot or tyre of resilient material to prevent damage to the yarn. It has been found however, that it is advisable to coat both rollers with this resilient material, and this introduces a difliculty in that the driven roller is preferably one of a number of such all mounted on a common shaft. Under these conditions it is difficult to replace the tyres on the rollers fixed to the common shaft since the said tyres must be of endless construction, i.e., without joints, and to replace such tyres it is essential to remove the common shaft and rollers from the machine and thread the tyres over the rollers and shaft from one end. Such tyre replacement is necessary from time to time during the wear of the tyre surface caused by the yarn.

According to the present invention however, an arrangement for forwarding a plurality of yarns comprises a common drive shaft, a plurality of driving rollers fixed to said drive shaft, a plurality of individually mounted first nip rollers each faced with resilient material and adapted to be driven by engagement with one of said driving rollers, and a plurality of individually mounted second nip rollers each faced with resilient material and adapted to be driven by one of said first nip rollers.

Each first nip roller is preferably urged towards its corresponding driving roller and each second nip roller may either be urged towards its corresponding first nip roller by a predetermined pressure such as by its own weight, or resiliently urged thereto. Moreover, each first nip roller is preferably mounted on a separate first arm, which is pivotally mounted on the machine frame, and each second nip roller is preferably mounted on a separate second arm which is pivotally mounted on an extension of the corresponding first arm. A spring, fixed at one end to the first arm and at the other end to the second arm, may urge each second nip roller towards its corresponding first nip roller.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment; and

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FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a plurality of the embodiments shown in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown, a textile machine 11 is provided with a driving shaft 12 common to a plurality of yarn paths, and at each yarn path the common shaft has a driving roller 13 mounted on it, this roller having a smooth steel face. A single nip roller 14 having a tyre 15 of resilient material is mounted on a separate first arm 16 so as to rest on its associated driving roller 13, the roller 14 being pivoted on one end of the arm 16, the other end of which is pivoted on the frame of the machine 11, the two rollers 13 and 14 being held in contact by the weight of the driven roller 14 and its arm 16 so that this first driven roller 14 is rotated when in contact with the driving roller 13. The arm 16 is arranged to have two normal positions, one in which the rollers 13 and 14 are in contact and another in which they are separated by a short distance so that the driven roller 14 can be stopped for threading up.

The arm 16 is provided with an extension 17 having a pivot 18 at its far end, and a second nip roller 19 also provided with a tyre 20 is mounted on the end of a separate second arm 21 pivoted on the end of the first arm extension 17. This second roller 19 is spring loaded so that its surface is pressed into contact with the surface of the first driven roller 14. The second roller 19 may also have two positions of rest, one in which its surface is in driving contact with the first roller 14 and one in which the two tyred rollers 14 and 19 are separated. A tangent plane to the rollers including their line of contact is arranged to include the forwarding path of the yarn after it leaves the nip rollers.

FIG. 2 shows each pair of nip rollers 14 and 19, together with their associated driving rollers 13 mounted in a row, all being driven by the common driving shaft 12.

In order to start the machine, the nip rollers 14 and 19 are separated as for example by removing the second roller 19 from the first roller 14, which may be left in Contact with the driving roller 13. Yarn is now brought up from the crimping zone and wound two or three times round the second roller 19, the turns being kept apart by a spacer (not shown) of known type. The yarn is then taken to a package (also not shown) the peripheral speed of which when run is 25% less than the peripheral speed of the nip rollers. The two nip rollers 14 and 19 are now brought together under the influence of a spring 22 acting on the second roller 19 whereupon yarn is forwarded from the crimping zone at the peripheral speed of the nip rollers, and is taken up on the package at a rate less than this speed. This permits the yarn to bulk in the space between the nip rollers 14 and 19 and take-up package.

By this construction it is possible to apply a considerable tension to the yarn in the crimping zone of the order of 10 to 20 grammes, and to emit the yarn from :the nip rollers 14 and 19 into the contracting zone at a tension very much less than this figure. In addition, since both of the nip rollers are mounted on a single arm as carried, it is easily possible to replace each roller tyre 15 or 20 without dismantling the main driving shaft 12.

For certain yarns, more particularly those known as fully synthetic, it has been discovered that tyre wear is a function of its thickness. Thus, if'rubber or similar resilient material is employed for the said tyre and their thickness is made many times that of the diameter of the yarn to be forwarded, then quite appreciable wear and channelling takes place after a relatively short period. This is thought to be due to the fact that the yarn, being of relatively small diameteronly a few thousandths of an inchtends to sink into the resilient material without being properly gripped by it, so that a certain amount of slippage may take place. Again, if the yarn due to crimping has a rotary force applied to it, then the yarn can rotate to some degree whilst in contact with the resilient surface if this resiliency is of too high an order. It has therefore been found that tyre wear can be reduced by making the thickness of each type commensurable with the diameter of the yarn to b treated so that the yarn does not sink too deeply into the resilient material and is tightly gripped by the said surface. Thus if a yarn of say .006" diameter is being forwarded, tyre wear can be reduced by employing resilient material of not greater than in thickness. It is therefore advisable to use the minimum thickness of tyre, always provided that sufficient resiliency in each tyre remains in order to prevent damage to the yarn by compression.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for advancing an elongated flexible element such as a yarn, in combination, support means; a driving roller supported for rotation by said support means; first lever means turnably connected to said support means; first nip roller means carried for rotation by said first lever means with the axis of said first nip roller means parallel to that of said driving roller, said first lever means supporting said first nip roller means for movement by gravity with its periphery into engagement with said driving roller to be driven thereby, so that said first lever means may be turned upwardly away from said driving roller to displace said first nip roller means away from said driving roller; second lever means turnably mounted on said first lever means; second nip roller means supported by said second lever means for rotation with the axis of said second nip roller means parallel to that of said first nip roller means and with said second nip roller means located in the same plane as said first nip roller means, said second lever means supporting said second nip roller means for turning movement into and out of engagement with said first nip roller means with the peripheries of both of said nip roller means engaging each other; wear-receiving annular elements mounted on the peripheries of said first and second nip roller means; and spring means interconnecting said first and second lever means for urging said first and second nip roller means into engagement with each other at their peripheries so that when said first nip roller means engages said driving roller a drive will be transmitted through siad first nip roller means to said second nip roller means whereby a yarn nipped between said first and second nip roller means will be advanced thereby when said first nip roller means engages said driving roller to be driven thereby, and so that the peripheries of both of said nip roller means are freely accessible for replacement of said wear-receiving elements.

2. In a machine for advancing a plurality of elongated flexible elements such as yarns, in combination, elongated rotary drive means having a plurality of driving portions axially distributed therealong; a plurality of first nip roller means respectively having axes parallel to those of said drive means and respectively aligned with said driving portions thereof; a plurality of first support means respectively supporting said plurality of first nip roller means for rotation about their respective axes and also respectively supporting said plurality of said first nip roller means for movement at their peripheries into and out of engagement with said driving portions to be driven thereby; a plurality of second nip roller means respectively having axes parallel to those of said plurality of first nip roller means and respectively aligned therewith; and a plurality of second support means, each movably mounted on one of said first supporting means, respectively supporting said plurality of second nip roller means for rotation about their respective axes and for movement at their peripheries into and out of engagement with the peripheries of said first nip roller means, respectively and a plurality of spring means operatively interconnecting each said second and third support means for urging said second nip roller means into engagement with said first nip roller means, whereby a plurality of yarns or the like may be advanced when respectively nipped between cooperating pairs of first and second nip roller means, so that when it is necessary to have access to the periphery of any one of said nip roller means the latter nip roller means can be moved to a position where its periphery is freely accessible while said drive means can continue to rotate and drive the plurality of nip roller means which are located at driving portions of said drive means other than that at which said one nip roller means is located.

3. In an apparatus as recited in claim 2, said rotary drive means extending horizontally and said plurality of said first support means respectively including a plurality of levers supporting said plurality of first nip roller means for movement by gravity downwardly into engagement with said driving portions and said plurality of said second support means including a plurality of second levers respectively pivotally connected to said first levers and supporting said plurality of second nip roller means for turning movement into and out of engagement with said plurality of first nip roller means, respectively.

4. In an apparatus as recited in claim 3, a plurality of spring respectively interconnecting the levers of said first and second support means for urging said second nip roller means respectively into engagement with said first nip roller means.

5. In an apparatus as recited in claim 2, said drive means including an elongated drive shaft and said driving portions being formed by a plurality of driving rollers carried by said drive shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 519,491 5/94 Baker 57-97 2,276,494 3/42 Kellogg 226-187 2,499,699 3/50 Tinkham 226183 2,667,313 1/54 Klein 242-455 3,001,733 9/61 Axon et al. 226181 FOREIGN PATENTS 830,655 2/52 Germany.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH P. STRIZAK, RUSSELL C. MADER,

Examiners. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR ADVANCING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE ELEMENT SUCH AS A YARN, IN COMBINATION, SUPPORT MEANS; A DRIVING ROLLER SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION BY SAID SUPPORT MEANS; FIRST LEVER MEANS TURNABLY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS; FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS CARRIED FOR ROTATION BY SAID FIRST LEVER MEANS WITH THE AXIS OF SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS PARALLEL TO THAT OF SAID DRIVING ROLLER, SAID FIRST LEVER MEANS SUPPORTING SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BY GRAVITY WITH ITS PERIPHERY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DRIVING ROLLER TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY, SO THAT SAID FIRST LEVER MEANS MAY BE TURNED UPWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID DRIVING ROLLER TO DISPLACE SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS AWAY FROM SAID DRIVING ROLLER; SECOND LEVER MEANS TURNABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST LEVER MEANS; SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID SECOND LEVER MEANS FOR ROTATION WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS PARALLEL TO THAT OF SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS IN WITH SAID SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS LOCATED IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS, SAID SECOND LEVER MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS FOR TURNING MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS WITH THE PERIPHERIES OF BOTH OF SAID NIP ROLLER MEANS ENGAGING EACH OTHER; WEAR-RECEIVING ANNULAR ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS; AND SPRING MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND LEVER MEANS FOR URGING SAID FIRST AND SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AT THEIR PERIPHERIES SO THAT WHEN SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS ENGAGES SAID DRIVING ROLLER A DRIVE WILL BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS TO SAID SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS WHEREBY A YARN NIPPED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND NIP ROLLER MEANS WILL BE ADVANCED THEREBY WHEN SAID FIRST NIP ROLLER MEANS ENGAGES SAID DRIVING ROLLER TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY, AND SO THAT THE PERIPHERIES OF BOTH OF SAID NIP ROLLER MEANS ARE FREELY ACCESSIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT OF SAID WEAR-RECEIVING ELEMENTS. 